Power production in an internal combustion engine is achieved through the combustion of fuel inside the cylinder of the engine. The fuel inserted into the combustion chamber may be ignited under compression or via spark depending upon the fuel involved. The fuel may include one or more fuels and may be liquid and/or gaseous fuels. Combustible fuels used for such power production include, but are not limited to, one or more of diesel fuel, gasoline, natural gas and alcohol (ethanol) fuels.
Power production and the efficiency of an internal combustion engine are impacted by the quantity and rate of combustion of the fuel. If, for example, the fuel provided to the cylinders or combustion chambers of the internal combustion engine is not completely consumed or combusted during the combustion process, some of the unburnt fuel is to be exhausted in a form of unburnt hydrocarbon emissions from the engine during the exhaust process. The unburnt hydrocarbons represents a loss of combustion efficiency and power of the engine.
Various government emissions regulations prescribe the amount of unburnt hydrocarbons that are acceptable for release into the atmosphere. Accordingly, in order to comply with such regulations, exhaust systems coupled to an internal combustion engine include various exhaust aftertreatment systems configured to treat and/or eliminate the unburnt hydrocarbons. Such aftertreatment systems may include various catalysts such as diesel oxidation catalyst, three way catalysts, or other exhaust treatment components.
Accordingly, operating an internal combustion engine that releases unburnt hydrocarbons is disadvantageous in view of the associated components implemented to treat the exhaust and in view of the reduced power and efficiency of the engine.